Return to Gondor
by Lwood
Summary: A story of what happens to Pippin and Merry after the ring has been destroyed
1. Farewell to old friends

This is my first part of my first story I hope you all like it. It is a story of what happens to Merry and Pippin after the ring is destroyed.  
  
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After the adventure of the One Ring the hobbits had returned to the Shire. Their long journey had made them outsiders in the Shire now. When they arrived home with their new sense of adventure everyone saw them in a different light. They had left as young hobbits that would never wander far from the Shire even though they were mischievous, and they had returned with clothes from Gondor and ponies from Rohan and many new friends. After a week or so Sam had married Rosie Cotton and then Merry, Pippin, and Sam had to say good bye to Gandalf and Frodo.  
  
When the remaining three hobbits returned to the Shire there was still two who were not settling into the life at home after their adventure. Merry and Pippin were missing all the new friends they had made on their journey and decided to go and meet their old friends Legolas, Gimli, and Aragon.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The old wooden door creaked open and Sam stood in the door way.  
  
"Hello you two how are you today?" said Sam as he stood there.  
  
"We've got something to tell you Sam" Pippin told him. Sam looked worried and invited Merry and Pippin into his house. The two hobbits sat down as Sam went and made some tea "What is it that you wanted to tell me?" Sam shouted from the other room. He wandered back in and took a seat at the table "Is it something about Frodo?"  
  
"No, it's about us" Pippin told Sam, who now looked puzzled.  
  
"Pippin and me feel like we aren't fitting in anymore here in the Shire, so we have decided to go and see the others"  
  
"Who Frodo and Gandalf you can't that was the last boat" Sam said shocked  
  
"No not them, we're going to see Aragon, Legolas and Gimli" Pippin corrected Sam who was looking even more puzzled.  
  
"Your going all the way back to Gondor?"  
  
"Yes, we'll obviously stop at Rohan and place and visit other people on our journey like Faramir." Pippin continued.  
  
"We won't be able to go all the way with out stopping," said Merry joking.  
  
"When are you leaving?" Sam questioned them.  
  
"Today"  
  
"What?" Sam said shocked. "We are leaving at lunch time and heading for Bree and staying at the Prancing Pony for the night then moving on" Pippin told Sam.  
  
"That's why we're here to say good bye" Merry told Sam.  
  
"Will you be coming back?" Sam asked them  
  
"We might do eventually it all depends on what happens when we reach Gondor" Pippin said. Sam looked very upset by this news and stared out the window into his garden.  
  
"We're sorry Sam but we just can't settle back into the life in the Shire, we would have asked you if you wanted to come but your married and you cant bring your wife and children with you all that way," said Pippin as he stood up.  
  
"We've got to go we've got to pack food and stuff to leave on time" he looked at Sam who was still ignoring them. Merry stood up next to Pippin "Bye Sam," he said and turned around and walked out the door. Pippin looked at Sam for a while "Bye," he turned around and followed Merry out the door and up the road.  
  
Rosie walked into the room "What did they want Sam?" she asked him, "Nothing" he said and walked out of the room.  
  
Merry and Pippin went home and packed their stuff and got ready to leave. They both got on their ponies and started heading for Bree. As they walked past Sams house the door opened and Sams child Elanor came running out "Where are you going Pippin?" she asked him as he rode up to the gate  
  
"We're going away for a while" Pippin told her a jumped off his pony and picked up Elanor  
  
"Can I come with you?" she asked him.  
  
"I don't think your dad will like that"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"He just won't" Sam appeared by the door, "Come on Elanor say good bye to Merry and Pippin your lunch is ready," he said to his daughter who hugged Pippin tightly "Bye Pippin, bye Merry" Pippin put Elanor down and she ran into the house.  
  
"You're off then" Sam said to them and walked down the garden path to Pippin. He stood in front of in and then hugged him. Merry jumped off his pony and walked up to them. "I'm going to miss you" said Sam as he let go of Pippin and started hugging Merry  
  
"Where going to miss you too" said Pippin  
  
"You say hello to everyone for me won't you" Sam asked them as he let go of Merry  
  
"Of course we will" Merry said to him.  
  
"We'd better be going we're already late," Pippin said as he jumped back on his horse.  
  
"Oh hang on a minute" Sam said as he ran back into the house. He reappeared with a picture that Elanor had drawn of all the friends that Sam had told her about.  
  
"Give this to Aragon and the others" Sam said giving the picture to Pippin who put it in his bag.  
  
"Right we're off then" said Merry as he urged his pony into a walk. "Bye Sam" Merry said as he walked off.  
  
"Keep in touch won't you" Sam asked Pippin.  
  
"Course, bye Sam" Pippin walked off after Merry and Sam watched as they both disappeared into the horizon. 


	2. Another Pint

This is the second chapter to my story and I hope you all like it and I would also like to say thank you to Sarah (sarahsnape1) for all her help with this story.  
  
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Merry and Pippin trotted along the path towards Bree. They couldn't take exactly the same route as they had last time because some things had changed. For example they couldn't take the horses on Buckle Berry Ferry because it wasn't safe so they had to follow the road. Pippin couldn't wait to get to the Prancing Pony and have another pint.  
  
The sun was setting and there was a gentle breeze. They walked along the road talking eagerly of their first meeting of the road.  
  
"What's the plan for tomorrow then? Merry asked.  
  
"Well the next stop will be Weathertop if you're willing to stay there that is." Pippin teased Merry.  
  
"Course I'm willing to stay there why shouldn't I?" Merry replied, raising his eyebrows at his companion.  
  
"Well, I was just thinking," smirked Pippin, "you're afraid of the dark, so you might be scared!"  
  
"I am not!" Shouted Merry, enraged.  
  
"Anyway, we'll have to go past Rivendell and see if we can stay there!" Pippin said.  
  
"Why might we not be able to stay at Rivendell?" Merry asked, his temper edging away slightly.  
  
"You are so stupid Merry,"  
  
"What?" he couldn't understand why the friendly elves that had helped them on their last journey wouldn't let them stay at Rivendell.  
  
"Well." Pippin said slowly as though the answer was obvious, "we may not be able to stay there, all the Elves have gone, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah, they all went off to that place where Frodo went didn't they?" he said very pleased with himself for remembering. He looked at Pippin grinning to himself. Pippin shook his head slightly and corrected him.  
  
"That place Merry was the Grey Havens"  
  
"I knew that" Merry said sharply. Whilst they had been talking they hadn't noticed how dark it was getting. The sun had disappeared into the horizon and the moon and stars had come out. As they walked along Pippin stared at the glittering sky  
  
"What do you think Frodos doing now?" Pippin asked Merry, they both missed their friend and they hadn't really had enough time to say good bye to him and wanted to know why he left. They had decided to ask Aragon if Gandalf had told them anything.  
  
"I don't know, I wonder what it's like at Grey Havens" Merry asked who was now also looking at the stars.  
  
"If its anything like Rivendell it must be beautiful." As Pippin finished he's sentence they heard the sound of hollow hoofs. They both looked down to the floor, they had reached Greenway Crossing and began to cross over the old wooden bridge. The sound of the river that flowed underneath was calming as it twisted and turned around rocks down to the hill and around the corner. They both encouraged the ponies over the bridge to the other side of the bridge. They decided to make up some time as it was getting very dark, they both headed off at a steady lope as they knew that they must be quite close to Bree by now.  
  
They approached the West gate of Bree, they both dismounted their ponies and Pippin walked up to the big gate and knocked on it heavily. A man peered through the hole in the gate and looked at the two hobbits.  
  
"Hobbits, I haven't seen your sort around here for a long time" Pippin interrupted the old man at the gate "Where here to stay at The Prancing Pony" he told the man. "Really, then you can may in" the man closed the slide and unlocked the gate.  
  
Pippin and Merry both walked in and started their walk up hill towards the Prancing Pony. On the way they noticed a Livery and walked in they stood by the entrance and waited for someone to come and help them. A lady walked out of one of the stables and over to them.  
  
"Can I help?" she asked the two hobbits.  
  
"Yeah, we where just wondering if our ponies could stay here for the night?" Merry asked her.  
  
"Yeah sure, that's fine I'll feed them and everything for you" she took the reins off Merry and lead his horse into one of the stools and came back out and closed the door. She then took Pippins pony and took it into the stall next to Merrys and started to take off the tack.  
  
Merry and Pippin looked at each other a bit puzzled. Pippin walked upto the stool the lady was in "Is that it then, do you want any money?" he asked her.  
  
She turned and looked at him "Just collect them in the morning, okay" she smiled warmly at Pippin and returned to untacking his pony. Pippin turned to Merry and shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the livery. Merry turned and followed him up the road and into the Prancing Pony.  
  
Pippin marched straight upto the bar and the bar man walked over to him and said "What would you like mister?"  
  
"Can I have two pints of beer please, and have you got any rooms available for tonight?" The bar man turned to the pump and started pulling the two pints Pippin had ordered. "I do indeed have some rooms available and I also have special hobbits sized ones." He past Merry and Pippin their pints "We'll take it thank you" Pippin said and gave the bar man the money for the pints.  
  
He sat and stared at the pint in front of him. Merry turned and looked at him, "What are you doing?"  
  
"It's been a long time since I had a pint Merry and so much has happened since then." Pippin lifted the pint and took several big gulps then replaced it on the table.  
  
Merry and Pippin both sat there for a while talking then went up to their room and drifted off sleep. They still had a long journey in front of them and they need all the rest they could get. 


End file.
